UniSA Nelson Mandela Lecture series

Promoting freedom, truth and reconciliation

The Nelson Mandela Lecture series is jointly presented by the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre and the School of Law at the University of South Australia. The series was established in 2008 to honour Nelson Mandela, the Hawke Centre's first International Patron (2001-2013).

The purpose of this lecture series is to promote the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals and the value of truth and reconciliation in life and public affairs. The ideal of justice for common humanity underpins all the lectures presented.

Geraldine Cox is often described as an Aussie living legend. This fierce and determined woman gave up a life of excess and luxury to live in Cambodia and look after some of the poorest people on the planet. Geraldine highlights that community development with a focus on education and health is the only way to truly enable some of the poorest people in the world to create a tangible, lasting, wealth of a different kind.

A number of governments, including Australia’s, have proposed the revocation of citizenship as a means to deter engagement in terrorism. This lecture will consider the political and legal context of these proposals and discuss their compatibility with international human rights standards.

Nelson Mandela once remarked "If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner”. How do communities put aside what is considered to be intractable violence and instead commit to peace and stability? Former Irish President, Mary McAleese, discussed the ongoing Irish peace process, in conversation with political journalist and commentator journalist, Annabel Crabb.

From the rubble of Gaza to the destroyed villages of Darfur, and from the scorched earth of the Guatemalan highlands to the satellite surveillance of nuclear sites in Iran, Professor Weizman argued, architecture and its ruins are the vehicle for understanding and communicating the meaning of contemporary and recent affairs.

In his address Dr Nandy challenged Western-inspired cultural correctness. He shared ideas about diverse communities living together through an ‘alternative cosmopolitanism’, where there is ongoing stability, but not the necessity to pretend to ‘love’ one another.

Unity Dow examined how dominant cultures claim the right to define the norm, and consequently define what is abnormal or aberrant. She considered how Western culture had undermined African culture - urging Africa to not readily accept a view as valid just because the West offers it.

Presenting the inaugural Nelson Mandela lecture, Dr Musimbi Kanyoro described how contemporary globalisation involves stark contrasts, with great gaps between the powerful and powerless. She outlined her vision of an ethical approach to globalisation, one that applies a human rights framework.